Corsair Adds 90GB SSDs into Lineup to Address Price-Conscious Buyers.

Corsair Memory, a supplier of high-end memory modules, solid-state drives and other custom PC components, on Thursday introduced solid-state drives with 90GB capacities. The company claims that the new SSDs provide cost-efficient alternative to 120GB drives and higher-capacity alternative to 60GB drives.

Corsair's new Force-series SSDs 90GB are based on SandForce SF-2281 controllers and use Serial ATA-600 interface. The Force 3 SSD 90GB uses asynchronous flash memory. The Force 3 , designed for enthusiasts, uses ONFI synchronous flash memory and boasts read speeds of up to 555MB/s and write speeds of up to 505MB/s.

"We are happy to add the world’s first 90GB SSD to our product lineup. With 50% more storage capacity than our 60GB models and at pricing significantly lower than our 120GB models, they help make the Force Series 3 and Force Series GT among the most robust and flexible SSD lines on the market," said Thi La, vice president of memory products at Corsair.

The 90GB SSD configurations are available from authorized distributors and retailers worldwide at a US suggested retail price of $159 for the Force Series 3 90GB and $199 for the Force Series GT 90GB.

Although Corsair claims that the 90GB drives have substantial price advantage over other SSDs, their per-gigabyte pricing is similar to 60GB and 120GB counterparts.

In theory, actual performance and reliability of Force/Force GT 3-series 90GB solid-state drives (which use six 64Gb NAND flash memory made using 20nm process technology) should be higher than those of 60GB drives and lower than those of 120GB SSDs. It remains to be seen whether the practice will prove the theory.